Building construction



March 28, 1939.

A. C. OLSEN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Sept. 4, 1935 P atentedMar. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE Application September 4,1935, Serial No. 39,155 Renewed September 10, 1938 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to building structures and particularly toceiling constructions;

In my Patent No. 1,865,131, granted June 28, 1932, is disclosed aceiling construction of the built up panel type which is of ornamentaland decorative nature while at the same time of eminently practicalconstruction, inexpensive to fabricate and install, and which may bereadily applied or dismantled. The present invention relates to aceiling of the same general type as that disclosed and claimed in thepatent referred to but contemplates certain changes intended tofacilitate the application of the ceiling to large structures,particularly where ceilings of large size are to be suspended from thesuper-structure of the building and it is intended that the ceilingshall be rigid .and fire-proof throughout.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing byway of example and one skilled in the art will appreciate that theadvantages of the invention may be realized despite changes in theprecise design and arrangement of its several component elements, all ofwhich may be more or less modified in adapting the invention to specialconditions.

30 The fire-proof ceiling contemplated by the invention may be utilizedin connection with almost any kind of building structure but it isparticularly advantageous to utilize the same in connection withwarehouses, factories, theaters, homes, and light buildings in which theornamental built-up panel type of ceiling is desired and where it isnecessary to suspend the ceiling from an overhead structure rather thanto directly attach the ceiling to such a structure. The parts employedin the formation of the ceiling are relatively few in number, light inweight, and simple in construction. Except for the actual panels, allparts are of metal and the panels themselves may be of fireproofmaterials, thus making the ceiling completely fireresisting.

Two parallel light-weight beams are indicated at H! in the drawing andin the construction of a ceiling of substantial size a considerablenumber of these beams will be utilized, all arranged in parallelrelationship and disposed in a common 55 bers II and the connecting webI2. The connecting web is preferably apertured, as shown, to promotelightness, the diagonal members connecting the flanges ll being onlysuiiiciently wide to give the beam as an entirety the necessarystiffness and strength, These parallel beams in are supported by meansof suspending elements I3 from the overhead structure above the ceiling,which may be more or less remote from the ceiling. The elements l3 maybe long or short as circumstances require and are disposed vertically.The lower end of each element is laterally and upwardly turned so as toproject through one of the apertures formed in the web of beam Ill andto engage the upper edge of this aperture and the outer edge of theupper flange I l thus adequately supporting the beam. Each beam willnaturally be supported by a plurality of suspending elements l3 spacedlongitudinally thereof, the number of such elements varying with thelength of the beam and the weight of the ceiling structure carried bythe beams.

Hanger members are indicated at M, these hanger members being preferablyformed of comparatively ductile sheet metal in order that their upperends may be flexed and bent or looped over the upper edges of the beams,respectively, as shown in Figure 2. The lower end of each hanger I4 isprovided with a head 15, connected to the main portion of the hanger bya neck 16. Panel edge engaging and supporting strips are indicated at H,each of these strips comprising 'an elongated sheet metal member,substantially box-like in cross-section as shown, each strip beinglongitudinally slotted to receive the necks l6 of the hanger and thebody of each strip being sufliciently large interiorly to receive theseveral heads I 5 of the hanger. Parallel flanges l8 of the stripsproject outwardly from the margins of the grooves formed in thesupporting strips and teminate in oppositely directed flanges I9.Flanges l9 are preferably resilient and each such flange cooperates witha portion of the body of the strip H which lies in a substantiallyparallel plane, in gripping the edge of a panel 20. The adjacentparallel edges of adjacent panels are therefore securely retained withingrooves ll defined by the walls of the supporting strips and the flangesIS. The panels 20 may be of any desired type and may carry any chosendesigns but preferably are of some such material as asbestos, which willnot burn.

As may be clearly perceived in the drawing, alternate hanger members aredisposed upon opposite sides of the common beam from which they aresuspended. Thus the hanger member H to the left of Figure 1 has the facethereof which lies adjacent the channel member in contact with thechannel member, at least at .points adjacent the top and bottom flangesof the channel faces being disposed in parallel vertical planes.

By placing alternate hangers on opposite sides of a common beam Illstiffness of the structure is promoted. The adjacent edges of adJacentpanels, which edges are disposed parallel to each other, are clampedwithin oppositely facing grooves 22' formed in cross strips 22, whichcross it are merely loosely engaged by the suspending elements II. Thebeams ll migbtturn within the hook-like lower ends of the suspendingelements, and would so turn, were they not locked in position by thehanger elements I, between which each beam is held, the lower ends ofthe hanger units being held against sliding movement relatively to thesupporting strips l'l by reason of the frictional engagement of theupper 'surfaces of the heads I! of the hangers,which are tightly pressedagainst the downwardly facing in-' terior surfaces of the strips l1,owing to the weight of the panels 20 carried by the supporting strips.The hanger members are axially slidable upon the beams, thusfacilitating assembly of the ceiling parts, the ceiling being built uppanel by panel. The margins of the ceiling will contact with cornicestructures or room side walls, thus additionally stiffening theconstruction. Notwithstanding the apparent looseness of the variousmetallic parts with respect to each other, and the absence of anypositive securing means therefor, a ceiling structure fabricated inaccordance with the invention possesses great strength and rigidity aswell as being fire-proof and highly ornamental in appearance. Theconstruction just described, furthermore, lends itself readily to theerection of ceilings having acoustic properties, it being easilypossible to utilize panels having the necessary apertures therein and toplace upon the upper surfaces of these panels sound absorbing materialsof any desired kind.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a ceiling construction of the builtup panel type, in combination,parallel horizontally disposed channel beams having apertures formed inthe webs thereof and the webs being vertically disposed, verticallydisposed suspending elements having their lower ends laterally directedand passing through-the apertures in the webs of the beams for susl dingsaid beams, hangerpanel type, in combination, a plurality of beamsarranged in parallelism and disposed in'a common plane, each such beamhaving hanger guiding surfaces disposed in .a vertical plane, suspendingmeans loosely engaging and supporting said beams, hanger members havingtheir upper ends looped over said beams, their lower ends projectingbelow the beams and their mid-portions resting against the guidingsurfaces of said beams, parallel panel supporting strips attached to thelower ends of said hanger members and supported thereby, and panelssupported by said strips.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 in which alternate hangermembers attached to a single beam are positioned on opposite sides ofthe beam, thus strengthening the structure.

4. The combination set forth in claim. 2 in which the beams arechannel-shaped in cross- ANDERS C. OLSEN.

